And there are some who are concerned such manufacturers are playing on parental paranoia.

"First-time parents, who are at their most obsessive about safety, are the most susceptible to manufacturers' marketing and claims to be 'best for your child'," Katie O'Donovan, from parenting network Mumsnet, tells the BBC.

This can lead to some expensive purchasing mistakes, she adds.

Billions from babies

But it's easy to see why entrepreneurs are attracted to the sector.

Retail sales of "baby durables" - the term analysts give to long-lasting goods - are set to increase from $2.6bn in 2012 to $2.9 billion in 2018 in the US alone, according to research firm Mintel.

The maker of Ultimate Wipes Warmer says it will not brown or dry out baby wipes

Other goods available or about to join the infant tech space include:

Carkoon - a car seat that triggers a cocoon-like shield for the child in the case of a collision

Origami Stroller - a pram complete with a speed-and-temperature LCD screen, which erects and collapses at a button's touch

Ultimate Wipes Warmer - a machine that promises to heat the disposable damp baby cloths without drying them out

Cry Translator - a "medically tested" gadget that claims to diagnose a baby's cry from a few seconds of audio

The Spanish firm behind the Cry Translator also offers cost-conscious parents an app that requires slightly longer recordings to work.

From a paediatric perspective, there appears to be pros and cons to integrating technology with parenting and infants.

"Paediatricians generally value technology as far as children's development goes," Dr Rahul Chodhari, consultant paediatrician for the Royal Free London explains.

"My worry, especially for a first-time parent, is that a parent might ignore the wonderful gift of instinct and rely on a machine that is not medically tested to read a situation".

The Carkoon car seat triggers a cocooning infant shield on impact

However, there is one area that both Dr Chodhari and Barnet & Chase Farm Hospitals' consultant paediatrician Dr Su Laurent agree is ripe for improvement - child car seats.

Dr Laurent pronounces the Carkoon and its £499 price tag as sounding "amazing but expensive" when she learns of the still-in-development product.

But she is less impressed by True Fit iAlert, a hi-tech child seat currently sold for $400 that sends a smartphone warning if a child wriggles free of its straps.

Features of the car seat, including a monitor for an exact angle of recline, are described by Dr Laurent as "unnecessary and likely to increase anxiety".

The product may also lack wider appeal since its manufacturer tells the BBC that it will soon be withdrawn from sale and not replaced.

The True Fit iAlert warns parents if their child frees themself from the chair

Crowdfunded kiddie tech

Baby tech start-ups received another boost this week with news that the popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter was relaxing its rules about which kinds of projects could appear on the site.

The website is a popular place for projects to gain both cash and publicity - but it had previously barred several baby-themed proposals under a general ban on "medical, health and safety products".

That had led to a situation in which Owlet's smart sock had been rejected, while Baby Soothe - an infant massage device - had slipped through.

Under the revised rules all baby tech should qualify so long as it does not explicitly claim to cure, treat, or prevent an illness or other condition.

The Sleevely SmartSleeve sends details about a baby's feed to an app

Rival crowdfunding platform Indiegogo is even more relaxed about the baby-related projects it accepts.

It has helped raise money for projects, including Smart Diapers - a nappy that aims to warn of developing urinary tract infections, despite warnings from Dr Laurent and others that the system might lead parents to make unnecessary trips to their doctor.

Whether parents embrace the expanding range of infant-related innovation is part of a wider challenge that faces them, says Mumsnet.

Kickstarter has accepted Baby Soothe, a massage device designed to calm crying babies

"We're the first generation of parents having to navigate this digital space," says Mrs O'Donovan.

"There's this dilemma to embrace technology - a whole new world - with possibilities that our child will be a coding genius by 11, yet also offers us a child that doesn't interact with others and endlessly plays on Minecraft."

When it comes to winning parents over, tech companies may need to take one baby step at a time.

BBC links

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